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Privacy NoticeCountryfile star Matt Baker, who became a household name after landing a co-presenting gig on The One Show in 2011, is set to stand in for Paddy McGuinness’ BBC Radio 2 show on Sunday, 21 July from 11am. But it won’t be the star’s first appearance on a BBC show. In fact, he’s actually seen as a TV favourite having featured on many programmes including The One Show, Blue Peter, Countryfile and Strictly Come Dancing. Matt, 46, had a memorable run on the popular celebrity dance competition back in 2010, finishing second alongside professional dancer Aliona Vilani, missing out on first place to co-star EastEnders actress Kara Tointon. It may have been nearly 15 years since Matt took to the stage with his six-pack and his impressive gymnastic skills that got him all the way to the final, but his Strictly bod is one to remember. It appears it was popular as popular to his wife Nicola as it was to swooning viewers.
As Countryfile’s Matt Baker steps prepares to stand in for Paddy McGuinness’ BBC Radio 2 show on Sunday, we detail his wife’s disappointment after his Strictly Come Dancing stint
(Image: BBC Studios/Pete Dadds)
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Speaking to the Mirror back in January 2012, Matt admitted his wife Nicola was impressed with his body transformation as he practiced for the BBC One dance series. But much to his wife’s disappointment, the strict exercise regime was too intense to keep up after the show ended. He admitted to the publication: “I did six hours a day training for Strictly and Nicola really liked my new body. I thrived on it, but it’s impossible to maintain that intensity. “But after months of hard work I didn’t want to let it all go, so I still try and do half an hour’s exercise at least every other day, if not every day, to keep myself trim.”
Matt, 46, had a memorable run on the popular celebrity dance competition back in 2010, finishing second alongside professional dancer Aliona Vilani
(Image: BBC)
He continued: “I play football, go down the gym and do a bit of running. But I haven’t been dancing at all. That’s sad, isn’t it?” Matt and Nicola’s love story spans over two decades, starting way back before Matt became the star presenter of Blue Peter. The TV favourite first crossed paths with Nicola in the 1990s before he shot to fame as a TV presenter. At that time, he was part of the disco show at Pier 39 in Cleethorpes. After dating for several years, Matt and Nicola tied the knot in 2004, in a ceremony which took place in Winston, Teesdale. He later shared that his wedding day was “the best day of my life.”
Matt and Nicola are doting parents to their two children
(Image: Channel 4)
Since then the pair have welcomed son Luke, 16 and daughter Molly, 14. The family of four used to live in the Chilterns but opted to relocate to Matt’s family farm in the Durham Dales in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, after his mother was knocked over by a sheep and broke her leg. A year prior to the move,Matt had stepped down from presenting The One Showin order to spend more time with his family. In a chat with theRadio Timesin 2022, Matt gushed about his wife. He told the outlet: “I have a very patient wife. Nicola is very supportive and understanding, she is everything to me. I couldn’t have done any of this without her.”
Matt admitted his wife Nicola was impressed with his body transformation as he practiced for the BBC One dance series
(Image: PA)
Recently, Matt opened up about why he decided to leave The One Show in 2020 during his chat with Gabby Logan on the Mid Point podcast in March. He shared that he had pondered over what was the point of continuing with something he’d been doing for nearly a decade. In his words: “It was that part of me saying, ‘Look, was this ever a goal?’, and ‘what are you actually working towards?'” Going ahead, Matt commented: “And then I thought, I’m just going to [leave]. I’m just going to go because if I don’t, I will probably be here forever.”
In 2021 Matt, Nicola and their children relocated to his family farm
(Image: Charlotte Graham)
When not working on the family farm, Nicola, who has a background in physiotherapy with the NHS, works as a writer and baker. She recently published the children’s book Finding Hope, which is the first in a series of books titled The Whistledown Farm Adventures. Nicola often shares snaps of her baked goods and farm life on her Instagram page. Earlier this year, she spoke to Lorraine about how Matt has influenced her appreciation for rural life. Nicola has also opened up about her love story with Matt, saying: “When I met Matt as a teenager that was when I fell in love with the farm and the countryside and that way of life. Before that, I had no experience of it.”Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnStrictly Come DancingThe One ShowMatt BakerPaddy McGuinnessaliona vilani
